And so it is that Huge Baby start out to, well, the other bands and a couple of us really. Shame given the fact that over the next 25 minutes or so they were quite outstanding. Featuring new boy Paul on vocals, in only his second gig, the guitarist Kay stands, puffing out his cheeks, playing like he’s in slow motion, yet these huge slabs of riffage emerge from the guitars. Then Voodoo is unleashed, it shimmers, tribal sounding, but resisting the urge to just break out into big meaningless powerchords. Everything lifts a notch, new singer Paul bravely goes topless, giving that it’s not exactly scorching in here. Another song features sitar sounds emerging from the guitar, and the band look like they’re truly locking into the groove now. Course, not having heard much of the material before, it’s hard to describe it all and remember. But it’s very cool. Even when the cord falls out of the microphone, it’s retreived in a stylish manner. During the final track, Paul runs around the venue, trying to encourage the people that are here to stand and get more involved, and the guitarist takes to the middle of the venue and proceeds to stand on his guitar to play it. On a concrete floor. Twisting and grinding it in to the ground. Russ, the Dai Lo guitarist, can’t bear to watch, and hides his head in his top, distraught. Ah, guitarists, sensitive souls, who’d have thought it. I’m sure the Glowing Foo Skulls are going well at the moment, but Huge Baby are being huge. Mind you, an interview took place afterwards. Yeah, I’ll see if I can pick the bones off it and get something together. Interesting. But Az, playing a headless bass, nooooooo. Remember, shaped basses are evil and corrupt the youth. So do headless basses. Well I've got to have a complaint in there somewhere haven't I?

So follow that one then.

Ah, but it’s Dai Lo. Follow it? Well, they proceed to play a six song set that features only one song that I know, and that’s one of their old Mangacide tracks. Even when Mr Sod intervenes after the first song, which is a surprisingly mellow choice, Cold Harsh Truth, and, as Shaun describes it "our bass has died" Dai Lo can do little wrong tonight. Well, with the exception of the "big rock endings" which need some work. And Shaun telling jokes. "I’ve only got room for one joke up here" he points to his head, "and the one that’s there really is bad, very bad". It’s all new material that shows the band evolving from those demo tracks that still find themselves being played nearly 11 months after I first heard them. The music feels like it’s an extension to what they’ve been doing, in a way it’s even more grand through the likes of Transmission, Warhead, and the final track, so new that it's called New. Well it is at the moment. Methinks the title may change.. There’s more of an epic feel going on, which normally means you need time to accustomise yourself. But even here on first listen it sounds right, it sounds good. There was even a little bit of spanish flamenco style in one song I could’ve sworn. Though of course, I reserve the right to be completely wrong. "Thanks to everyone for coming over, thanks to the bands for driving miles, thanks for letting us play here, but man it fucking stinks up here" says Shaun, referring of course to the fact that les toilettes are directly behind the stage, and apparently it, er, stinks. The band appear well up for it tonight, the lack of a real crowd matters little. The old Mangacide track, This Is Your Day is thrown in for good measure. The stage is small but Shaun still manages to cover most of it, crouching and leaping, and Jonn is stomping away with his bass like someone stomping away with his bass. Si meanwhile is refusing to do a big rock ending, no matter what. At the end there’s a few cries for more, "don’t you’re toying with my emotions" pleads Shaun. Shame, Dai Lo are turning essential

Me and Hangnail haven’t really clicked yet. I can’t decide about them. Good, but cheesy. But tonight it finally clicks for me. Nothing has changed with the music, it’s just tonight after what’s gone before them they’re going to have to raise their game to match Dai Lo and Huge Baby. And they do. It’s probably Harry the vocalist, who is looking and behaving like James Hetfield all those years ago, tossing the mane, headbanging for the UK, and extolling the virtues of alcohol. It’s like he’s living his dreams. There may only be a handful of people down there, but he’s headlinging Donington. "It’s great to be on tour and play places we’ve never played before. Like Derby. This placing is cool as fuck". You cringe and grin at the same time cos it’s said with such meaning and enjoyment you can’t help but grin. It’s a shortened set tonight, but the likes of Overhang, Side/Slide and Summer Rain suddenly hit home, and mean that I think I should give that CD a listen again.

Storming night really, three good bands. And you know what, something weird happened. You had 3 vocalists who actually sung. Each different, each their own personality. But how often do you see that on a bill these days. Or evenings.

Last time I reviewed #5. Now it’s up to #8. Woah. The Itchy one deals in a lot of humour, with a lot of space given over to columns explaining many of the more intricate and troublesome aspects of life. The feature on the different kinds of shits being particularly funny. Elsewhere the reviews seem honest enough and you get interviews with the likes of Urko, Mustard Plug, Ryker’s, Turmoil and 17 stitches. But the Itchy Bum is a zine that deals as much in humour as it does in the music, tales abound of Dave Mustaine writing a decent song, and drugs increasing the learning capacity, and judging by the back cover and various things said in the zine, they’re also branching out to promoting their own gigs now. Nice.